Six ways cycling can improve your lifestyle, health & wellbeing

According to a WHO study, regular cyclists can reduce their risk of heart attack by up to 50 percent. A daily distance of 4.5 kilometers is enough for this.

The "Copenhagen City Heart" study examined the influence of different sports on life expectancy over a period of 25 years. The result: regular cycling can have a positive effect on lifespan and can extend it by an average of 3.7 years.

Several studies show that bicycling promotes growth of the hippocampus. This is the part of the brain that acts as an interface between long-term and short-term memory. New nerve cells are also formed here. Researchers also found that cycling can increase spatial awareness and improve our ability to concentrate. Just don’t forget to protect that growing brain with a helmet!

A team from the University of Copenhagen studied the effect of cycling on weight loss. The control group, who cycled 14 kilometers a day at a leisurely pace, lost an average of 4.5 kilograms of fat mass within six months. Participants in an intensive daily fitness program lost slightly less, at 4.2 kilograms.

Commuters who cycle even just 5 kilometers to work every day can save around 340 kilograms of CO 2 every year. That’s a pretty decent amount! The more we can encourage commuters to hop on two wheels, the happier our planet will be.

Generally, a car costs around 40 cents per kilometer to drive. Cyclists, however, on the same route can actually make a net gain of 30 cents. That’s one free coffee every week! This calculation (by the Swedish Linnaeus University) takes into account the costs incurred for the necessary infrastructure, operating costs, accidents, resource use and climate change.

*Source: Techniker Krankenkasse